Billy Idol

Idol lived in
Worthing before attending
Sussex University for only a year before joining the
Bromley Contingent of keen
Sex Pistols fans. During this period, Idol decided to become a
musician and formed a
punk
rock band called
Generation X in 1976.

Generation X signed to
Chrysalis Records and released three somewhat successful albums
before breaking up. Idol moved to
New York City and began working as a solo artist and working with
Steve Stevens, soon becoming MTV staples with "White Wedding" and
"Dancing with Myself," the latter of which had originally been recorded
with Generation X. Idol's second LP,
Rebel Yell (1984) was a blockbuster success, and established
Idol's
superstar status in the United States with singles like "Eyes
Without A Face," "Flesh For Fantasy," and the title cut.

Idol did not release a new album until 1986;
Whiplash Smile sold very well and proved to be a smash,
including the hits "To Be A Lover," "Don't Need A Gun," and the
Country-flavored "Sweet Sixteen." Stevens soon left for a solo career
and Idol continued. A live
cover of
Tommy James' "Mony Mony" (the studio version of which was an Idol
staple from early on) did well on MTV, and Idol played Cousin Kevin in a
performance of
Tommy.

Just before the release of
Charmed Life in 1990, Idol was in a motorcycle accident in which
he almost lost his leg. The album sold extremely well (led by "Cradle Of
Love," from
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane film), but Idol decided to take
a break and acted in
The Doors, directed by
Oliver Stone. The follow-up to Charmed Life was 1993's
Cyberpunk, which was a flop in the States, and Idol sank into
drug addiction, nearly dying of an overdose in 1994.

Idol returned to the popular eye in 1998, when he played himself in
The Wedding Singer, an
Adam Sandler and
Drew Barrymore
romantic comedy, where "White
Wedding" was used as the title track. Idol appeared on VH1
Storytellers and issued a successful Greatest Hits CD in
2001.

Devil's Playground (album), which came out
22
March 2005,
is his first new studio album in nearly 12 years.